UH receiver JoJo Ward counts toward the 2019 recruiting class

One of the jewels of the Hawaii football team’s 2019 recruiting class is one of the Rainbow Warriors’ top players this season.

NCAA teams are limited to awarding 25 initial scholarships per recruiting class. Wideout JoJo Ward joined the Warriors in July and began receiving scholarship benefits in August. In NCAA-approved accounting known as “blue-shirting,” the Warriors are permitted to push forward Ward’s scholarship to the 2019 class.

“It’s an honor to be part of this class,” said Ward, who has 51 receptions for 865 yards and nine touchdowns. He is averaging 17.0 yards per catch, tops among UH starters.

Quarterback Cole McDonald said Ward “brings a sense of life to the team. He brings speed and great routes to the table. He’s awesome to have around.”

The Warriors are set to add more talent to next season’s team with today’s early signing period for football prospects. As of last night, the Warriors had secured 12 new commitments. The latest are receivers Jared Smart of Laney College and James Phillips of Mount San Jacinto College.

Both told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser they will sign letters of intent today, then enroll at UH in January. Both will participate in the Warriors’ offseason conditioning program and spring training.

“During the (recruiting) visit, I felt like I was at home,” Phillips said “I obviously liked it because it was Hawaii. They were keeping it real, so I really liked that.”

Phillips, who is 5 feet 8 and 160 pounds, is projected to compete at slotback in the Warriors’ four-wide offense. Smart, who is 6 feet and 180 pounds, will compete at wideout.

Smart’s father is Keith Smart, who hit the winning shot for Indiana in the 1987 NCAA basketball championship game against Syracuse.

Both recruits were attracted to the run-and-shoot concepts.

“If you’re a receiver, you can’t complain,” Phillips said. “That’s the offense to be in. They’ve got three receivers with almost 1,000 yards each. I want to go into that offense and get it going.”

The Warriors were able to address several areas of need this recruiting period. They landed three commits from local high schools — offensive lineman Arasi Mose of Saint Louis School, defensive back Tiger Peterson of Kamehameha Schools and linebacker Darius Muasau of Mililani High. Mose, who was selected to the Star-Advertiser’s All-State first team, turned down an offer from USC to pledge to UH. Mose’s commitment is viewed as a boost as a means to secure more local recruits for the February signing period.

Earlier, the Warriors received pledges from linebacker Zach Bowers of Chandler (Ariz.) High, one of the top national football programs; receiver Melquise Stovall, a former 4-star prospect who began his college career at California, and Cortez Davis, a speedy shut-down corner from Itawamba College in Mississippi.

Kaimana Wa‘a of Crescent Valley (Ore.) High is an offensive lineman who projects as a guard or center. Wa‘a fits into an offensive line in which blockers are cross-trained at several positions.

The 2019 class also features three grayshirts who committed in February with the intent of enrolling at UH in January. Jonah Panoke, a Saint Louis receiver who caught the winning pass in the 2017 state championship game; offensive lineman Thomas Wade; and multi-skilled Michael Washington will participate in UH’s spring ball.